MS. Ashmole 1796
Summary Catalogue no.: 6542 (?)
Richard of Wallingford, astronomy, etc.; England, 14th century, middle or second half
Contents
Language(s): Latin
1. (fols. 1r—15r)
, Sphaera solida siue astrolabium sphericum Rubric: In nomine Domini, incipit Tractatus de Spera Solida, sive de Astrolabio Sperico, conpositus anno Domini. Mº. 13º.
Incipit: Tocius astrologie speculacionis radix et fundamentum ejus, ejusque prolixitatis inmensitas
Explicit: Nunc autem geometricas utilitates que ex cordis sumuntur dicemus.
Final rubric: Explicit liber Deo gratias.
eTK 1576B
2. (fols. 15r—16v)
Astronomy Rubric: Incipit tractatus de mediis conjunctionibus et opposicionibus, et eclipsibus solis et lune.
Incipit: Inter omnes stellarum errancium conjuncciones.
Explicit: invernietur denominacio numeri quociens exeuntis
Three chapters, with two tables.
eTK 0768J
3. (fols. 17r—30v)
, Exafrenon prognosticationum temporum Incipit: (prologue) Ad perfectam noticiam judiciorum artis astrologie que natura regulante ex effectibus planetarum oriuntur
Explicit: ad pristinam se transtulit paupertatem
Final rubric: Explicit exafenon pronosticacionum temporum
J. D. North, Richard of Wallingford (1976), I, 179-243, II, 83-126, III, 17.
4. (fols. 30v—34r)
Astrology Rubric: De naturalibus effectibus planetarum
Incipit: Nota quod omnis planeta proicit radios sue virtutis sperice
Explicit: que necessario disponent secunda hujus predicia
Contains rubrics: “Prima regula de pluvia. Hec est tabula puteorum. De gelu et nive et grandine. De tonitruo. De terre motu. De stellis in aere apparentibus.” Apparently one text.
Briefly discussed North, II, 313.
5. (fols. 34r—36r)
Astrology Incipit: Debilitas stellarum est casus. Exicium exilium
Explicit: Dicuntur planete se respicere ... respiciat res adjudicabitur.
6. (fols. 36r—38r)
, De iudiciis astronomiae Rubric: De introduccione in Judicia Astrologie
Incipit: Quoniam regulas artis astronomice judicandi non nisi per diversa opera dispersas invenimus
Explicit: et per sextam duodecimam patebit. Explicit.
Imperfect? The final rubric is “De secunda domorum distinccione”
7. (fols. 38r—39r)
Astronomy Rubric: Ad proiciendum eclipsim solis
Incipit: Primo accipiatur vera hora conjuncconis
8. (fol. 39r)
Astronomy Incipit: Ad sciendum latitudinem stelle ab equinoxiali
Printed North, I, 433, as an unfinished tract tentatively attributed to Richard of Wallingford.
11. (fols. 40v—48v)
, De compositione astrolabii Incipit: Sciendum quod astrolabium sit nomen Grecum cujus interpretacio est accepcio stellarum
Explicit: hoc modo facies ceteras latitudines regionis ejusdem tabule si Deus voluerit
Final rubric: Finit opus astrolabii secundum Marcellania benedictus Deus amen.
12. (fols. 48v—55v)
, De compositione astrolabii Rubric: Nomina instrumentorum astrolabii hec sunt.
Incipit: Primum est armilla suspensoria
Explicit: talis est comparacio stature tue ad totam planiciem
13. (fol. 55v—76v)
On the new quadrant Rubric: Incipit tractatum Novi Quadrantis. Ars et operacio novi quadrantis editi a magistro Prefacio Judeo Martiliensis. Operis utilitate et faccionis facilitate omnia instrumenta ut dicit in prologo suo excedentis exposita a Petro de Adamaro Parisius diligenter correcti et perfecti.
Incipit: Accipe igitur tabulam eream
Explicit: Et multe sunt conclusiones que sciri non poterunt per hoc instrumentum que non dum sunt invente
Not the work of Petrus de Sancto Audomaro; North, II, 313 tentatively attributed the text to John Maudith.
Tables of longitude and latitude at fols. 58—59.
14. (fols. 76v—77r)
Astronomy Rubric: Generalis doctrina ad inveniendum qua⟨m⟩libet equacionem cujuslibet argumenti
Incipit: Quando oportet intrare bis in aliquam tabulam
Explicit: gradus et fracciones correspondent
North, II, 314 ("instructions for using tables of the equation of the argument")
15. (fols. 77r—83v)
, Tractatus horologii astrologii Incipit: Prima conclusio habita rota certi numeri dencium equalium
North, I, 443-526; II, 309-370; III, 61-74. North's edition does not follow the order of the manuscript: for details see the table in II, 320.
16. (fols. 84r-90r, with fols. 181v—2v)
, Tractatus horologii astrologii (tables) Rubric: Tabula proporcionis dividens circulum habentem. .360. partes equales in quotlibet alias partes equales infra .400. partes pro rotis horoogii et aliorum instrumentorum
See North, I, 524.
17. (fols. 90v—111v)
, Tabulae Oxonienses cum canonibus Incipit: In nomine domini nostri Jesu Cristi. Volentibus futuros effectus planetarum in istis inferioribus pronosticare
Explicit: [Conclusio septima] dico igitur in hoc casu quod Scorpion. 10. ga .21. ma. est ascendens et cetera
18. (fol. 112r—112v.)
Astronomy Rubric: Ars componendi tabulam diversitatis aspectus in quovis climate
Incipit: Prima linea que est linea numeri continebit omnes koras equales
Explicit: et nota hoc pro opere subtilissimo
See North, II, 314 ("ostensibly a precis of Albategni's third chapter")
19. (fols. 114r—116v)
Tables Final rubric: Per istas tabulas debent dividi omnes rote pertinentes ad instrumentum de motibus omnium planetarum
20. (fols. 116v—118r)
'Triangulus rectangulus' Incipit: Fiat triangulus rectangulus quod est triangulus. adc. Alterum quadratum est
Explicit: et exibit idem scilicet. 54. et cetera.
Discussed North, III, 136-7 (app. 16)
21. (fol. 118r—159r)
, Albion Incipit: Albion est geometricum instrumentum Almanac autem arsmetricum: utrumque tamen eisdem artibus licet inparibus adinventum
Rubric: (fol. 129.) Incipit secunda pars Albionis
Rubric: (fol. 141.) Incipit pars tercia de modo operandi per instrumentum
Rubric: (fol. 150.) Explicit pars tercia tractatus Albionis. Incipit pars quarta Albionis adjecta pro errore vitando in compositione
Tables of planetary motions, f. 151—9
Richard of Wallingford, ed. North, I, 245-401, II, 127-286, III, 19-51, 75-107.
22. (fol. 159v—165r)
, Tractatus rectanguli Rubric: Prologus in artem componendi Instrumentum Rectangulum
Incipit: Rectangulum in remedium tediosi et diffcilis operis armillarum eodem tempore quo composuimus Albion. hoc est sub annis Christi .1326. concepimus ad rectificandum
Rubric: Explicit ars componendi rectangulum. Incipit ars operandi cum illo. Prefacio.
Incipit: Rectangulus omnium circulorum
Explicit: quia eciam per ea que jam dicta sunt sufficienter docili discipulo patet via ad omnia ea que per cetera instrumenta sciri possunt ponimus hie finem. si Deus voluerit amen
Followed by an alphabet, and the verse (containing all letters) “Equore cum gelido zephirus fert exennia kymbus.”
Richard of Wallingford, ed. North, I, 403-432, II, 287-308, III, 53-8.
23. (fols. 165v—166v, 167r-v)
Astronomy Incipit: Cum habueris tabulam stellarum fixarum factam ad longitudinem
Explicit: et iste est modus curtissimus verificandi stellas secundum astronomos subtiles et sapientes. Explicit.
With diagrams.
Text on celestial coordinates, printed North, I, 433-6, with discussion II, 302-305, tentatively attributed to Richard of Wallingford.
24. (fols. 168r-172v)
, Tractatus horologii astrologii Rubric: Pro compositione motus solis in rotis
Incipit: Inicium operis est ut operarius habeat tabulam proporcionis
Explicit: per Ovidium, Principium capiunt Phebus et annus idem
Richard of Wallingford, ed. North, I, 247-401 and II, 309-370, with description of the manuscript at II, 310-315. North's edition does not follow the order of the manuscript: for details see the table in II, 320.
25. (fols. 173r—175v)
, De hiis quae indigent expositione antequam legitur Almagestum Rubric: Liber quem edidit Tebit filius Chord de hijs que indigent expositione antequam legatur [sic]
Incipit: Equator did est circulus major
Explicit: erunt sic retrogradi.
26. (fol. 176r—178v)
, Tractatus horologii astrologii Incipit: Memorandum quod si sol in .32. diebus pertranseat. 29. dentes de circulo
Richard of Wallingford, ed. North, I, 247-401 and II, 309-370, with description of the manuscript at II, 310-315. North's edition does not follow the order of the manuscript: for details see the table in II, 320.
27. (fol. 178v)
Phlebotomy Rubric: Proprietates signorum
Incipit: Aries: cave ab incisione in capite
eTK 0129M
28. (fol. 180r-v, with diagrams, fol. 179r-v)
Astronomy Incipit: Cognito vero gradu stelle in ecliptica et latitudine ejus ab ecli[p]tica, docet Tholomeus in. 8º. libro almagesti capº. 5to. cognosces gradum cum quo Stella mediat celum et latitudinem ejus ab ecliptica, per unam demonstracionem que presupponit noticiam demonstracionis de cathio quam ponit in. 12º. capº, primo libro almagesti. Ponam igitur in primo capo Tholomeum de verbo ad verbum, set ubi inveneris aliquam litteram subtractam scias illam esse glosam liniarem ejusdem textus.
Text on celestial coordinates, printed North, I, 436-7, with discussion II, 305-307, attributed tentatively to Richard of Wallingford.
For fols. 181-182 see above, fols. 84r-90r.
(fols. 183r-184v)
Blank, except for decorative strapwork initials added later.
29. (fol. 185r—186v)
Tables (fols. 187r-188v)
Blank, except for decorative strapwork initials and drawings added later.
30. (fol. 189r-v)
Astronomy Incipit: Si habueris declinacionem alicujus stelle a circulo equinoxiali faciliter et certe investigare poteris latitudinem ejusdem stelle a via solis que ecliptica dicitur, per demonstracionem Geber in fine libri sui
Explicit: per ortum circuli directi repertum
Ends imperfect.
Text on celestial coordinates, printed North, I, 438-9, with discussion II, 307-308, attributed tentatively to Richard of Wallingford.
31. (fols. 190r-197v)
Astronomical tables (fol. 190r—191v.)
Rubric: Tabula veri motus solis in anno bisextili
et in aliis tribus annis.
(fols. 192r—195r)
Planetary tables, 1349-1380 (fols. 195v-197r)
Rubric: Tabule ad domificandum, sive ad reducendum celum in duodecim partes pro figura judiciali. Deo gracias
(fol. 197v)
Later notes on the preceding table.
(198r-199r)
Blank, except for decorative strapwork initials added later, and a 16th-century recipe.
32. (fols. 199v—201v)
Diagrams of instruments Rubric: Figura lilii et armille suspensorie ...
Physical Description
Form: codex
Support: parchment
i (modern paper) + 201 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 180 × 125 mm.
Condition
Lower outer corner of most leaves damaged.
Layout
Ruled in ink for 1 col., c. 32-36 lines; ruled space c. 140-150 × c. 85-100 mm.
Hand(s)
Textualis libraria
Decoration
Pächt and Alexander iii. 752
Diagrams.
Penwork initials and borders (generally blue initials flourished red).
Sketches of initials added 15th century - 16th century, fols. 183r-184v etc.
Drawings added 15th century - 16th century, fols. 188v (bird) etc.
Binding
Medieval binding with remains of clasp; rebacked.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
St Albans, Hertfordshire, Benedictine abbey of St Alban: 'Hic est liber sancti Albani' (fol. 108v), 'Liber subsacrista sancti Albani quondam fratris Iohannis Loukyn' (fol. 160r) (MLGB3: evidence from an ex-libris inscription or note of gift to an institution). For John Loukyn see North, II, 311-312. Possibly also written at St Albans as the manuscript (according to North, esp. II, 310-320) draft texts by Richard of Wallingford.
“Ex dono Thomæ Barton de Middleton alias Milton juxta Sittingbourne in com: Cant: gen.” (front pastedown)
Bequeathed by him to the Ashmolean Museum; transferred to the Bodleian Library in 1860.
Record Sources
Description adapted by Matthew Holford (May 2025) from the following sources, with additional reference to published literature as cited and limited additional description.
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 752
W. H. Black, A descriptive, analytical, and critical catalogue of the manuscripts bequeathed unto the University of Oxford by Elias Ashmole Esq...., Quarto Catalogues X, 1845
Bibliography
Online resources:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2025-05: Incorporate all information from printed catalogue, with reference to published literature, limited additional description; MS. seen.